I used to think that exchanging my time for money was as good as life got and that the purpose of life was to work out how to get more money for my time. Eventually I would buy 1 house, fall pregnant, go on maternity leave and return to work so I could earn my super and eventually retire on $40,000 a year.

Throughout 205/16 I found myself on a deep personal journey into the world of self development.

I begun read books like 4 hour work week by TIm Ferris, Secrets of a Millionaire Mindset by T. Harv Eker, Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki and The One Minute MIllionaire by Mark Victor Hansen.

I watched movies like I’m Not Your Guru the story of the Tony Robbins’s workshops and The Secret, a movie about the Law of Attraction.

I attended weekend workshops where I wrote my life purpose on a piece of paper and had to intuitively find it in the dark whilst blindfolded. I spent 15 hours a day for 8 days straight at an intensive retreat where I walked on fire to overcome my mind, gambled $400 on a board game, had to earn $1000 in a day and subsequently lost 5kg from hardcore daily exercise.

Thousands of dollars, numerous late nights and even some tears later, I was served some cold hard truths, emotional life lessons and straight up advice on how to set myself free from the rat race.

I realised I was doing it all wrong.

Life isn’t about following the rules of the education system so that you can get a job that limits your income to time for money. Life is meant to be lived in pure abundance and joy! Despite the messages we are fed from the media, health care system and government, our lives can and should be lived with FREEDOM, ABUNDANCE, JOY, HEALTH and ADVENTURE.

AS wild and wacky of some of the work sounded, it changed my life for the better.

Here are 3 lessons I’ve adopted and implemented into my life since going on my journey.

It’s all in your head. Whatever life you're living right now is a result of the thoughts you think and the emotions you feel all day. Change your thoughts and you will change your life.

Become conscious. Your habits around money, parenting, spending, buying homes, education, travel, eating, manners etc are a result of what your parents, lovers, grandparents, teachers, bosses subsciously handed you. Unless you have taken time out of your everyday life to consciously decide how you want to raise children, how much you want to earn, what kind of travel you want to do, your style of relationships, what religion to follow or not follow then you are most likely a product of your environment. Become conscious, educate yourself and design the life of your dreams, not somebody else's.

Free yourself. Right now you have the power to create a business that can sell your product/service across the globe within seconds. That kind of business will grant you freedom, wealth, time, creativity and a deep purpose. If you don’t love what you’re doing, stop doing it. Find a way out and do something different. Any reason that comes up as to why you ‘can’t’ is just an excuse, nothing more. You are the only one responsible for making YOU happy, no one else is going to do it for you. Take charge of your life NOW.

We really are the creators of these lives we live. We are in control and our minds have the power to bring to life our wildest dreams.